Pursuing Purity - Part 2 Series

Part 2

Introduction:

1. Review: What Does God Require From People? (In Our Wicked Nature!)

- Find In 1:16-17 - “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

- Cleansing - But How Can I Be Clean, Unless Someone Else Washes Me?!

- Repentance - But How Can I Put Away My Evil, Unless Someone Else Takes It Away From Me?

- Righteousness - But How Can I Learn To Do Well, Unless Someone Else Teaches Me?

- Because Of Our Nature, It Is Impossible For Us To Do What He Requires!

- Proverbs 20:9 - “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?”

2. We Must Be Purified!

- Purification Is Available! (v. 18)

- To Those Who Respond To Him - “Come Now, Let Us Reason Together”

- Through Repentance Of Their Sin

- Through Recognition Of Their Sin

- Through Remorse Over Their Sin

- Through Revealing Their Sin

- Through Relying Upon God’s Ability To Purify Them

- Through The One Who Already Is Pure As Wool!

- 1 Peter 1:19 - “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

- Purification Has A Requirement! (v. 19-20)

- A Relationship With The One Who Can Purify You!

- Purification Is Necessary! (v. 21-23)

3. The Rest Of Chapter One Gives Us Even More Understanding Of The Purification Available Through Christ!

I. The Provision Of Purification: (v. 24-27)

- His Power To Purify (v. 24a)

- IE: The Ability To Purify Is Crucial - Commercials For Laundry Detergent Emphasize Their Power To Clean - Several Different People Stain Clothes - Mother Cuts It Apart & Washes It In Different Detergent - Only One Has Enough Power To Clean & Purify Those Deep Stains!

- Even Though Our Need For Purification Is Desperate And Incurable, There Is One Who Is Able To Purify Us! There Is One Who Has The Power To Purify Us! He Is:

- “The Lord” - Revealing A Just Power! Because He Is The Master & Ruler - “Adonai”

- “The Lord Of Hosts” - Revealing A Universal Power! Because He Is The Master & Ruler Of All, Even Those Who Are “Mighty”!

- “The Mighty One Of Israel” - Revealing A Controlled & Selective Power! Because He Chose To Reveal His Power To And For Israel!

- He Alone Has The Power To Purify!

- Jeremiah 32:17 - “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”

- He Still Has Power To Purify! What Sin Are You Struggling With? Pride? Speech? Thought Life? Recognize & Rely Upon His Power To Purify!

- His Procedure To Purify:

- First Step - Removal (v. 24b)

- Removal Of The Wicked - “Ease” - To Comfort Himself By Removing Enemy

- Ezekiel 5:13 - “Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.”

- “Avenge” - To Punish & Destroy His Enemy

- “Adversaries” & “Enemies” - Those Who Do Not Respond To His Invitation To Be Purified.

- Second Step - Refine (v. 25)

- Removal Of Wickedness - How?

- With Strength - “Turn My Hand” - IE: With The Strength & Might Of A Blacksmith - Strong Hands To Wrap Around The Handle Of A Hammer

- With Skill - “Purely Purge Your Dross” - In v. 22, “Thy Silver Is Become Dross” - Here, Your Dross Is Refined Into Silver! This Process Takes Skill - IE: A Silver Smith Smelts Silver Ore (Rocks With Bits Of Silver In Them) - Uses Heat, Pressure & Impact To Purify It Into Useful, Valuable Silver!

- With Success - “Take Away All Thy Tin” - Final Result - The Removal Of The Impurities - Removing That Which Is Worthless, Leaving That Which Is Valuable! An Illustration Of God’s Work Of Sanctifying In Our Lives As Christians!

- Ephesians 5:26 - “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

- Job 23:10 - “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

- God Is Still In The “Refining” Business! James Tells Us: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4)